It's nice that you can advise people as best you can.

The Royal Dutch Notary Association (KNB) is constantly welcoming new members. Who are these people who choose a career in notarial practice? Why did they choose this profession, and what are their expectations? Every month, we spotlight a brand-new candidate notary. This time: Anne Marie Menger.

Actually, Anne Marie Menger isn't a new member, but a renewed one. At the beginning of this millennium, she briefly served as a candidate civil-law notary at a firm where she didn't feel quite at home. Times were tough in the notarial profession, so finding a job at another firm wasn't an option. She took a different path and worked for years in the bailiff sector and legal aid. While her legal background benefited her, she didn't need to study notarial law for it.

The itch returned when she started working as a notary clerk at a law firm in Leeuwarden. "There, I did support work, like creating files, while I saw candidate notaries drafting deeds all around me. Then I thought: that's what I've been studying for, that's what I want to do too. I missed the legal aspect."

And so things started moving again; in October, Menger started at Prummel & Schippers Notarissen in Emmeloord. "I'm very happy with this and grateful to have been given this opportunity."

What appeals to you most about the notarial profession?
During my studies, I particularly enjoyed family law and inheritance law. I now work in that area of law. I also appreciate the opportunity to provide people with the best possible advice in this role. I currently participate in meetings with the two civil-law notaries at this firm. That's very instructive. I hope to conduct those meetings myself sometime soon.

What would you like to change about the notary profession today?
I've heard from colleagues that the outflow from the sector is quite high, partly due to the workload. I think that's a real shame. I also notice the workload is high, but I don't foresee any problems for myself. For example, I don't have young children, so if I start vocational training, I can lock myself away on weekends to study if necessary.

Do you want to become a notary?
I don't know if that's still possible at my age; I'll be 50 next year. First, I need to complete vocational training, which I hope to start in March. Then I'd like to become a licensed legal observer, and perhaps, in the future, a registered notary. My father is an entrepreneur, but I don't think I've inherited that genetic makeup. I don't necessarily need to become an entrepreneur.

What's your favorite notarial term?
The statutory portion. When I mention at a party that I work as a notary, people often look at me doubtfully: "Isn't that terribly boring?" Then they ask me questions about notarial matters, for example, disinheriting children. I enjoy explaining exactly how it works, that children are always entitled to the statutory portion.